As reported by the Star today the damage to the SGR by simple rainfall has sparked outrage among Kenyans who have lashed at the Chinese contractors and the government for the poor job done on the much expected railway line.

“These Chinese builders can’t be serious. This is the situation of SGR even before Kenyans can use it. Did we pay billions for such a shoddy job?” Patrick Safari, a twitter user, said.

Another says, quite impressively: “I do not know what will happen when the project fails to kick off. We may end up paying for loans on a ghost project now that it has already started to fall apart,”

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Let’s make Nairobi a sustainable metropolis of the future, let’s make Nairobi National Park a blueprint for economic development in Africa!

With the SGR-Nairobi National Park route map on the table and learning that GoK is favouring the two options cutting straight through the middle of the park, making your voice heard against the further destruction of the park and for the listing of NNP as World Heritage site has become even more pressing!

We’d like to note that expressing your opinion is certainly not exclusive to many other activities required to stop this deliberate destruction of one of the most unique assets this city is endowed with to become a sustainable metropolis of the future.

Most of us do not have the expert capacity required to stop the encroachment plans threatening the park. However, as citizens of this nation, a democracy, as world citizens our voice counts!

Conservationists have criticized KWS chairman Richard Leakey for supporting construction of the SGR through the Nairobi National Park. They have given Leakey seven days to resign or “face citizens’ eviction or court action”.
Communities living with wildlife and conservationists said Leakey has failed to uphold the sanctity of protected areas and by extension all wildlife dispersal areas.

This comes amid disquiet at the Kenya Wildlife Service against Leakey for what employees termed “attempts to micromanage the service and usurp powers that should only be exercised by the KWS director general”.
David Osoi said in a press meeting convened by the Kenya Coalition for Wildlife Conservation and Management: “Since his reappointment, the parastatal has experienced some of the highest demoralisation in the organisation’s history. This state of affairs is a bigger threat to the wildlife and protected areas than poaching.”

“Leakey has not injected any new big ideas for revamping and promoting wildlife conservation through controlling human-wildlife conflict, park encroachment, rampant bush meat poaching commonplace in and around National parks and reserves,” Kahindi Lekalhaile from the African Network for Animal Welfare said.

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Maasai residents living along the Nairobi national park’s dispersal areas feel betrayed by the decision to maintain the SGR route that passes through the park. Article 42 of the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act of 2013 states that all land donated for the purpose of conservation should not be used for any other purposes other than conservation. The Maasai residents claim that they donated their land to form what is now known as the Nairobi National park and therefore no developments should be allowed within the perimeters of the park.

The residents said that our forefathers, including founding President Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, made a commitment to conserve the country’s exceptional natural ecosystems and allowing the project to cut through the park would violate Jomo Kenyatta’s wish.

Residents say the project’s feasibility study is yet to be conducted and consultations with the local community and conservationists on the impact of the SGR have not been carried out.

Conservationist feel that the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act should be enough to protect the park from SGR construction and any other future developments proposed within the park. This therefore highlights the importance of Voting for the enlisting of NNP as World Heritage site.

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Conservationists joined by residents living along the Nairobi national park’s dispersal areas held another demonstration to protest against plans to have the SGR pass through the park on Monday 3rd October, 2016. They set off from Nairobi freedom corner to the office of the President to present a petition and later assembled outside the KWS headquarters.

Hamdi Keif Yusuf who was one of the protestors chained herself to the KWS gate overnight in an attempt to commemorate the slow death of NNP as KWS and other custodians of animal habitats watch this travesty happen.

“It’s the fourth hour. It’s drizzling. And we are 2 now. We are cold and hungry. Only the media keep us warm with their glaring lights…” her Facebook status read at around 9:13pm on Monday evening.

Hamdi Keif Yusuf (Right) sits chained outside the KWS headquarters.

The demonstration was as a result of the government preparing to launch the construction of Phase 2 of the SGR which will begin with the Nairobi – Naivasha section. This happened two weeks after the National Environment Tribunal issued stop orders against any activity relating to phase two of the project until an appeal by conservationists is heard and determined.

The Chair of Kenya Coalition for Wildlife Conservation and Management Sydney Quntai together with Kahindi Lekalhaile who is the Director of Public Affairs at Africa Network for Wildlife Welfare, were interviewed today morning on matters regarding the effects of the SGR passing through NNP.

They insisted that the Environment Impact Assessment should have been done prior to commencing construction.

The impacts Kahindi stated were as follows:

SGR in the park will cause disturbance to the animals’ movement and migration

The materials brought into the park to construct the 18metre pillars will introduce alien species which will compete with the plants that the animals depend on

The animals will leave the park during construction and this will increase human-wildlife conflict in the residential areas. This doesn’t give certainty that the animals will come back.

NNP is a tourist attraction site for being a true wildlife area within a capital city and it gives our country a good image. SGR will be a risk to the site.

Kahindi added that the government ought to be responsible developers and avoid mishandling the few conservation areas our country has. According to the Wildlife Act, NNP should have a management plan which is the blue print for managing a wildlife protected area.

They announced that there will be another protest taking place on Saturday 1st of October where they will march from Mwea to where the Phase 2 is set to begin in an attempt to show Kenyans the effects the SGR will have on the park.

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Conservationists took to the streets on another peaceful demonstration on Friday 23rd September morning. They started from the freedom corner in Nairobi CBD, marched to the NSSF building and completed their protest at The Milimani law courts. The purpose of the day’s demonstration was to hand over their petitions with concerns over the SGR passing through NNP to the Ministry of Environment & Natural Resources as well as the Ministry of Transport, Housing, Infrastructure and Urban Development.

They were successful in submitting their petition to the Ministry of Environment & Natural resources but were however denied entry at The Milimani courts to the Ministry of Transport, Housing, Infrastructure and Urban Development offices. They pointed out that their main emphasis is that the Railways should not go through, over or under the park.

The Conservation Alliance of Kenya (CAK) issued a rallying cry to the Kenyan public, its members, partners and its supporters during a press conference held on 22nd Thursday 2016, to combine efforts and save the Nairobi National Park (NNP) from the SGR project that will cut right through the middle of the park end to end.

CAK which represents over 50 NGOs that have invested heavily in the biodiversity conservation, scientific research, community and livelihood development in Kenya. They pointed out that, it had tried to engage with Kenya railways Corporation (KRC) and KWS since November 2015 so as to understand the route options they were considering and offer technical input regarding SGR-Phase 2. Their move has not succeeded since their follow up letters have gone unanswered.

They added that they were invited for a meeting on August 17th 2016 to the Ministry of Environment & Natural Resource offices to rubber stamp the SGR Phase 2 route which had already been determined by KRC and it was to be launched in due time.

The alliance categorically stated that it was not against the SGR and even highlighted it as an important project in the country that will drive the growth of our economy, but however raised their concern over the manner in which the decision for Phase 2 route had been arrived at. CAK noted that both the ministry and KRC ought to have put into consideration the following measures before settling on a route;

Engagement between stakeholders and the KRC.

Providing information on the feasibility studies with the economic, ecological and other arguments that informed the decision.

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Kenya has a lot to lose socially, economically and ecologically, if the SGR is permitted to pass through NNP. It is the only true wildlife reserve in a capital city, boasts of 100 species of mammals and a unique black rhino sanctuary. Additionally, it acts as the lung of the rapid growing industrial city.

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Nairobi Green Line has organised an educational walk in the Nairobi National Park which is open to the public. The walk is intended to create awareness on the effects the SGR construction will have on the park’s wildlife and the city environment. The walk is 11km long and will be held at the Nairobi National Park on Saturday 24th September.

The Kenya Coalition for Wildlife Conservation and Management through its Chairman, Sidney Quntai has given a notice to the County Commissioner of Nairobi County for a peaceful march on Friday, 23rd September 2016.

The chairman said the purpose of the demonstration was to hand over a petition to Cabinet Secretaries for the Ministry of Environments & Natural Resources and the Ministry of Transport, Housing, Infrastructure and Urban Development saying no to the passing of the SGR Phase 2 through the park.

The march which will begin from 9 am at Freedom Corner and end at National Social and Security Fund Headquarters will use Uhuru Highway, Haile Selassie Avenue, Ng’ong Rd and Kenyatta Avenue hence they will require police protection.

Activist Okiya Omtatah presented a letter to the Kenya Railways Corporation Managing Director, to inform him that KRC was in breach of the stop order that was issued by the National Environmental Tribunal on 19th September 2016.

This was in response to the hasted public consultation invitation circulated by Kenya Railways Corporation on the 19th September 2016. The stop order from the National Environmental Tribunal stated that ALL activity in relation to the SGR was to be halted until the related appeal is heard therefore rendering the KRC invitations and meetings illegal.

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The Kenya Railways Corporation has invited all the stakeholders along the SGR alignment between Nairobi south station, through Nairobi National Park, Tuala area to Dukamoja for a consultation meeting that will be about the Nairobi-Naivasha-Suswa SGR project.

The concerned stakeholders will discuss matters such as project description, SGR alignment, environmental impacts and any other issues that will arise. Questions about the SGR will be answered by Habitat Planners who are the ESIA consultants and the contractor China Communications and Construction Company who will be the facilitators of the meeting.

The meetings however, have been issued on extremely short notice (letter dated 19th – arrived 21st – first hearing 22nd) which is a typical way for KRC, Chinese contractors and other development officials to try and outmaneuver the public.

The National Environment Tribunal (NET) has given a stop order for the construction of the SGR Phase 2A, Nairobi-Naivasha, after they received an appeal from activist Okiya Omtatah and the Kenya Coalition for Wildlife Conservation and Management.

The two entities said that they filed the appeal to the tribunal after NEMA failed to stop the already underway SGR construction on phase 2A despite of not having the license from the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) as required by the law.

The China Road & Bridge Corporation was still going on with construction as the opposition made their plea to offer alternative routes. This proves to be a big step for the conservationists and all the residents opposing the SGR into the NNP to be heard.

Led by the Kenya Coalition for Wildlife Conservation Management, citizens of Kenya and non-citizens marched with banners from Galleria Mall to KWS Headquarters in Nairobi, to hand over a petition to KWS Chairman Dr. Richard Leakey, that is against the construction of the SGR through Nairobi National Park.

The Maasai communities, some of whom reside around the park cited that they gave up their land for Nairobi National Park to support wildlife conservation and not for infrastructure development, like the SGR. They added that, they were not against infrastructural development in general but against the SGR passing through the park, whilst there are good alternatives.

The conservationists also insisted that KRC did not secure the approval from NEMA (National Environment Management Authority) as specified by law and that a thorough assessment on the environmental and social impact the SGR would have is still due.

The petition was handed over to KWS Director General, Kitili Mbathi, who in return invited the protesters to bring their alternative proposals and mitigation factors for further discussions.

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The ‘Communities Living with Wildlife’ officially launched the campaign against the encroachment of the SGR into the park terming it as both misguided and a betrayal of both flora and fauna. They claim the government should have sourced for other alternative routes avoiding the Nairobi National Park.

The communities’ representative, Daniel Odoi, said the park was not negotiable. He added that the destruction of the park is not only a source of livelihood to the park’s employees but also a foreign exchange earner to the country.

The conservationist urged both citizens and non-citizens to turn up in large numbers on 16th September 2016, in a campaign dubbed ‘Operation Occupy Lang’ata Road’ and walk from Galleria Mall to the Kenya Wildlife Services Headquarters to hand over a petition to Dr. Richard Leakey, the KWS Chairman, to save the park from further degradation through SGR.

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The International Criminal Court (ICC), will now be prosecuting environmental crimes such as the illegal exploitation of natural resources, destruction of the environment and unlawful dispossession of land.

The move by ICC reflects the increasing global recognition of the severity of environmental crimes. It will also allow victims to seek justice through the international criminal justice system if their complaints are not heard in national courts.

This brings hope to the conservationists to rally for investigations on the government of Kenya and its developing partners on matters pertaining the construction of the SGR through NNP.

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Friends of Nairobi National Park (FoNNaP) hosted two separate meetings with its members and key stakeholders against the park’s encroachment to discuss the cause of action on Phase 2A of the SGR and the NNP.

In the meeting, a unanimous decision was made to support a legal process already initiated in April 2016 to halt the encroachment of SGR Phase 2A into the NNP. A ruling on a preliminary objection raised by one of the respondents was to be given on 7th September 2016 but was pushed to a later date.

The multiple forces behind the opposition to the construction of SGR through the Nairobi National Park are gaining thrust and uniting to include a variety of wildlife conversation organizations as well as the communities surrounding the south of the park and the Ngong area. They agreed that a publicity campaign on the issue should be launched and also involve more stakeholders who are not necessarily in the conservation world, but also the business fraternity for example.

A briefing for the conservation fraternity on the proposed routing options for SGR II held last Wednesday at the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources revealed that the modified Savannah route cutting through the middle of the park is the Gouvernment of Kenya’s (GoK) preferred option for SGR Phase II. This option cuts straight through the middle of the park from the northern gate, exiting in the south at Tuala in Kajiado County. The 6 km stretch through the park will be erected on a 18m high single line bridge. Construction in the park is estimated to take 18 months with a project commencement date set for 26th September 2016.

It was also reported that Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) had not only proposed this route as a preferred option but had also already approved it! Interesting to note: KWS did not attend the meeting…

How can the same authority, whose mandate it is to uphold Kenya’s strict environmental and wildlife laws propose, let alone approve such an annihilating pressure on the wildlife in NNP. One needs to cry faul! And once more, even louder this time, as one learns that the planned proceedings foresee that the President launches SGR II with the approved route and only thereafter would the respective EIA be undertaken and the public invited for stakeholder engagement!!

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Your overwhelming support – thousands of voices from 108 countries on 6 continents – and vibrant feedback to date has helped this initiative take root and has extremely motivated the very few that we are to relentlessly carry on with creating awareness of the careless and dubious proceedings bringing Nairobi National Park to fall.

But we need at least a thousand fold more voices to create a noticeable impact!

An Open Letter to:Mr. Kitili Mbathi, Director General Kenya Wildlife Service 26 July 2016

From:
Edward Loosli, Chairman
The Wildlife Foundation

The Wildlife Foundation is a registered Kenya Community Based Organisation/NGO founded in year 2000 to assist the Kenya Wildlife Service and others in conserving Kenya’s marvelous wildlife habitat, in both Protected and un-protected areas. To date, we have largely been concentrating our team efforts within Nairobi National Park and its vital wildlife dispersal area outside the open Southern boundary of the Park. In year 2003 there were only 7 adult lions left in the Nairobi National Park ecosystem, when we began to partner with KWS and the local pastoralists living in the NNP wildlife dispersal area. As a result of these co-operative efforts, there are now over 30 adult lions in the NNP ecosystem and NNP wildlife seemed secure. Unfortunately however, Nairobi National Park now faces one of the greatest threats in its entire history, at the hands of Kenya Railways.

It would be the height of illegality and irresponsibility to permit the proposed Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) Phase 2A to cut-through and further damage any more of the iconic and priceless Nairobi National Park.

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NNP wildlife communities were summoned to Kenya Railway Corporation yesterday, Wednesday 17th August. The meeting revealed that SGR implementation through NNP is already perceived as a fact by government and Chinese developing agencies.

As seen on national news channels last Sunday, the wildlife communities bordering the southern boundaries of NNP have been immensely active in creating awareness of their confusion with ongoing mapping and pegging activities around and in the Nairobi National park as well as their concern to be biased as stakeholders in any related environmental impact assessments to have SGR run through the park or bordering properties.

This concern became even more pressing as a meeting with KRC held yesterday, 17th August 2016 at KRC headquarters revealed that the plan to have SGR run through the park was considered a done deal. The communities were further summoned to step back from their futile opposition.

We thoroughly wonder how the park route can be considered a done deal!

The Wildlife Conservation and Management Act, 2013 states that any proponent conducting an activity of character likely to impact on the environment to undertake an Environmental Impact Assessment before financing (and implementing!!) such project.

Feedback to this site since it was launched yesterday reveals that a large majority believes that ALL encroachments to the Nairobi National park by infrastructure construction were stopped in court and is surprised to find that further SGR re-alignment plans through the park are still being pursued.

Please vote to have the park protected from further destruction and listed as World Heritage siteVOTE HERE

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While recent headlines in the press announced that the SGR re-alignment through Nairobi National Park had been stopped in court, the bullheaded siege in fact continues as new plans are being pursued to extensively cut through the park’s southern territories and destroy its only migratory routes.

Nairobi National Park – Ivory Burning Ceremony (J.Craig/VOA)

“There’s a passing of judgment from some that we’re doing the wrong thing, because Kenya is a poor country, and we could use the $150 million-odd dollars that they claim the ivory is worth to develop our nation .. But I would rather wait for the judgment of future generations, who I am sure will appreciate the decision we have taken today.”

An unambiguous pledge to the non-negotiable value of Kenya’s wildlife heritage

This statement by Uhuru Kenyatta, President of Kenya, dramatically staged on the backdrop of 105 tons of blazing ivory undeniably bears a strong commitment, an unambiguous pledge to the long-term value of Kenya’s wildlife heritage not only for those witnessing this record burn but, as clearly stated, for future generations to come.

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After the 16 km SGR encroachment in the western park area was stopped in court, the plan to cut through the southern territories of the park is still on!
Participate in our poll to express your opinion on the further destruction of Nairobi National Park and to have Nairobi National Park listed as a World Heritage Site.

Your voice must be heard!

Results will be delivered and availed to:

Uhuru Kenyatta, The President of Kenya

Any organization, group or community needing support to save the Nairobi National Park

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